Alfa Romeo Malaysia Established, Giulia And Stelvio ROI Opened Too

Yes, folks. Alfa Romeo has returned to Malaysia officially through a still undisclosed third party carrying the brand in the capacity of 'boutique dealers'.

Yes, you read that headline right. Long dormant Milanese brand Alfa Romeo is back in Malaysia. Earlier today, we chanced upon sighting what appears to be the official ‘Alfa Romeo Malaysia’ website and social media pages – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn included.

As a refresher, Alfa Romeo was last carried locally by Sime Darby Auto Connexion (SDAC) in the capacity of authorised importer and distributor until Dec 2013. Prior to this, principals Stellantis Malaysia had already confirmed the marque’s official return via a third party. 

Excitingly, Alfa Romeo Malaysia have opened online ROI for two models - the Giulia sports saloon and its lifted premium crossover twin the Stelvio.

What’s very exciting to see through which too is the fact that online Registration of Interest (ROI) are also opened for two models, those being the Giulia sports saloon and its lifted Stelvio crossover twin. Thought to be axed initially, it seems both models saw their production lives extended to 2027 at least.

Naturally, there are no tentative prices listed yet, but we reckon it won’t be long before receive an official launch details. At which point, we’re certain the identity of the local Malaysian outfit serving as the ‘boutique dealer’ for the celebrated Italian marque will also be revealed – this remains undisclosed still presently.

In Veloce trimline, both the Stelvio and Giulia pack a peppy 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol heart outputting 280 PS and 400 Nm, altogether enabling 0-100 KM/H in just 5.7 secs.

From what we can garner, Alfa Romeo Malaysia is poised to introduce its BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class fighter in ‘Veloce’ trimline. The same applies to its lifted BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-rivalling Stelvio premium crossover SUV twin.

The Veloce guise noted stands as the second most potent guise just below BMW M- and Mercedes-AMG-baiting ‘Quadrifoglio’ - the marque's famed 'four-leaf clover' badge - performance flagship. In other words, hardcore fans of the latter may need to wait a while before said guise of either arrives officially.

Whilst the Giulia stands to rival the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the Stelvio instead goes up against the comparable BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

The news isn’t all that bad as the Veloce trim noted brims both the Giulia and Stelvio with a peppy 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol heart churning out 280 PS and 400 Nm. Said mill is paired with a ZF-supplied 8-speed automatic box brimmed with the marque’s Q2 limited-slip rear diff.

In turn, this sees the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Giulia Veloce despatch the century sprint in just 5.7 secs. The lifted and slightly heavier Stelvio Veloce does the same, albeit thanks to the assist of an added all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup.

Apart from which, little else has been disclosed, but rest assured we will keep a close on this development. In the meantime, do you folks reckon this resurgent Italian marque once celebrated by many in Malaysia has a chance to thrive again? Hit the comments below…